Government refutes media allegations that Sata has U-turned on the Constitution

Chief Government Spokesperson and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Mwansa Kapeya has refuted media allegation that President Michael Sata has U-turned on the delivery of the new constitution. His Statement follows allegations quoting the president saying that the current constitution only needs amendments and that Zambia did not need a new constitution.

Mr Kapeya said that the president’s statement in Mansa was supposed to be understood within the context that the road map for the constitutional making process will only be determined after the Technical Committee on drafting the Zambian Constitution hands over the final draft constitution and the constitutional Bill.

Below is the full statement

Republic of Zambia Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services

STATEMENT BY HON. MWANSA KAPEYA, MP, MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON ON THE CONSTITUTION MAKING PROCESS

Government takes this opportunity to reaffirm its position on the constitution making process following His Excellency President Michael Sata’s statement in Mansa at the weekend regarding the constitution making process.

The road map for the constitutional making process will only be determined after the Technical Committee on drafting the Zambian Constitution hands over the final draft constitution and the constitutional Bill.

Therefore, the statement by His Excellency the President in Mansa should be understood within this context.

President Michael Sata’s commitment to deliver a people driven constitution remains unshakeable and that position has not changed and it will not change.

The Government has requested the Technical Committee on Drafting the Zambian constitution to ensure they hand over the draft Constitution and Constitution Bill on or before the 31st December, 2013.

There is, therefore, no need for some sections of society to interpret the President’s statement in Mansa as a change of position and lack of commitment to the constitution making process.

President Sata and the Patriotic Front Government still remain committed to ensuring that a people driven constitution is delivered to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.

Hon. Mwansa Kapeya, MP

MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON

2nd December, 2013

Meanwhile, the opposition MMD has lamented the Patriotic Front Government’s apparent u-turn on the new constitution following President Michael Sata’s statement that the current constitution only needs amendments.

Mr Simbao says it will be very unfortunate if President Michael Sata meant what he said by implying that there is no need for an entirely new constitution.

He notes that the need for a new constitution is a general requirement and that it is unfair for the Patriotic Front to u-turn on an agenda they pushed from the time they were in the opposition.

He adds that the government should stop riding on people’s mind but give the Zambian people a constitution that will stand a taste of time.

Mr. Simbao has since appealed to government to release the final draft constitution to the public than playing games which are not necessary.

MMD should not pretend to be worried about this matter which failed to implement for twenty years in Govt but gobbled Billions on the exercise. Let other concerned Parties, NGOs, the Church and citizenry express their pre-mature apprehensions on this protracted constitutional making process because the Veep assured parliament and the nation that by this monthend the Draft copy will be in our hands. What the President was quoted to had said to me sounded like slip of the tongue because I am praying daily for God to use PF to give Zambia the desired people-driven constitution that will satisfy every Zambian into voting for PF again in 2016 without even campaigning!

Dear Mwansa Kapeya,
Unless you say president Sata was drunk when he spoke, ‘well’ there is o contex, in which you claim we should understand, but what you can say and admissible is the withdrawal of the his thoughts in totality. We all understand English so there is no need to go round.

Shame on the PF. You know you hit the rock, and I have lost confidence in your governance.

you need to buy a lot of mopping cloth to mop out the rubbish that keep on accumulating as you journey on in your government. I personally head the alleged pronouncements on ZNBC Tv. was I dreaming? I dont know

Even you yourself are not a saint so who is Sata to be holier than thou? It like you are always in denial or probably worried that any negative publicity Sata gets might zero the chances of you holding the job he gave you. Too bad , be your own person. Don’t lean too much on these political *****.

@Zambiano
iwe ka zambiano… kupusa monga muzungu opusa!! cant you see that from my comment, me, i dont believe mansa radio watchdog that the president has u-turned. And i know that the constitution which everyone is crying was done and delivered within 90days of president Sata in office.. its true!!! because he is man of action… today zambia kwacha is 1;1 with british pound( not US dollar),, so what can you tell me???.. zambia is a paradise today with alot great roads and universities

Actualy, MCS said it on ZNBC TV1 & 2 and Muvi Tv that Zambia Does not need a NEW CONSTITUTION but SOME amendements to the CURRENT one, SHAME. After appointing The Technical Committee to draft a new constitution and now he u-turns?
This MaN is a JOKER in State House, and for Mwansa Fyabukaya Kapeya, somehow I doubt his Mental sanity and his academic & proffesional qualifications maybe he got his Diploma the Masumba way. There honestly nothing to defend here than apologising & retracting MCS’s statement PERIOD.
And YOU Saulosi or Saul-Less, sometimes your support needs checks or ?????????

Sir the statement was on ZNBC and not ZWD. I heard the president very clearly. What my beloved minister should have said is it was the slip of the tongue.Otherwise it was very clear for anyone who has gone through an english class

what rumour you gullible nums”kul and useles i*diot! what is here to refute. unless sata himself says he has changed what he said in Mansa, this refuting is a lamentable silly manoeuvring, an attept to sugar-coat excreta? you are indeed a useless F@ol

@Zambiano..thanks bro.People who likes insults actually do it because they are enable to debate or have a rational discussion ,so they cover up their flaws through insults.Zebige doesn`t respond to such because it is not only pointless but it also reduces the person answering back to the same level with that person.

Zambians can make u shed tears of laughter. So yo constitution is completely bad just to put in simple terms?l don’t so.Therefore even the amendment process can work. MMD shut up on this one! U are a culprite. let upnd and others talk.

You are the f”ool. How much money has been spent, since independence on this constitution? You want your satan to continue sloting draconian laws with impunity, through amendments. No wander he was noo, causing bye elections to have majority. so u can not see this? you are indeed gullible.

@Richwell Siamunene. Learn to control your hatred for PF. There are many bloggers who are not in support of current happenings but you can’t continue insulting everyone with different views from yours. There are a lot of people who do not like PF but there is still a lot of people who are staunch PF supporters.
Let us learn to live side by side despite our political affiliations.
You need Jesus.

Sata meant what he said in Mansa, but did not expect such a response from the people and am sure the international community as well. He was trying the waters and crocodiles have surfaced. This president is an opportunist who will look for any chance to dribble the zambian people to his advantage. I advise the Zambians never to trust the A-Team. The silence from Kabimba’s adversaries is deafening. They now know whose camp the president support. I urge the other camp to Jump ship and joint other parties. PF is a wasted project!

Explain the context Hon Minister. We all want to understand the context in which he said what he said on the constitution. Must be a tough job defending senseless rumbling from the boss. Each passing day it is getting clear that Zambia needs a fresh team in government. PF should not go beyond 2016 if we really love this country.

IT WAS ON THE FLIPPIN’ NEWS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! ZNBC, 19:00hrs when they showed this chap of a president ku Mansa, first item. I, together with a number of people blogging from Zambia, watched it because I make it a point NEVER to miss the 19:00hrs news no matter how nice whatever else I was watching on another channel. So am not really understanding where people are saying this was concocted by the ZWD. In short, even you tuma PF cadres were distressed when you first heard this story and are now clutching at anything that will exonerate your hopeless leader and in this case it is an equally hopeless statement from a radio comedian. YABA!!

POLITICS IS A DIRTY GAME. THOSE CALLING FOR AN ENTIRELY NEW CONSTITUTION ARE HOPING THAT THE NEW CONSTITUTION WILL MAKE SATA FAIL TO WIN THE NEXT GENERAL ELECTION. THE DANGER WITH THAT KIND OF REASONING IS THAT YOU SHUT DOWN YOUR MIND AGAINST MANY OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES THAT SHOULD CONCERN YOU IN THE CONSTITUTION.

Politics is not a dirty game. It is the spectators on this page who wear dirty glasses.

Just look through this page. Do you suppose for one moment that there is anyone who is normal in the head? With this kind of attitude demonstrated on this page, obviuosly Willie Nsanda, Kambwili, GBM, William Banda, Chikwelete and Lusambo will rule over us forever.

Sata thought that since he was talking in distant Kasama, somehow the Nation would not hear what he was saying. He forgets that as President whatever he says wherever he says it will be taken very seriuosly, very seriuosly. Sata’s friends in the A-Team are very upset with Sata’s uncontrolled mouth. He seems to blurt wrong things at every turn making the PF look very silly, eg his habit of insulting Ministers in public, his tantrums of abandoning project launches , his deviation from written speeches and the embarrassing rumblings he embarks on- the list is endless.
Mwansa Kapeya attempt to put a gloss on Sata’s ill advised pronouncement wont do. Sata and PF now know just how seriuos Zambians are about the constitution. Dont dare us. Bassop!

The incurable syndrome we have in Zambia is failure to deduct and elucidate characteristics of politicians in Zambia. This explains why we are where we are with this impoverished leadership in the country. We have ended up with Mr Sata play acting as president with high risk of sliding back 30 years back, if not worse comparing the level of today’s democratic governance in the world. We have Sata, Kabimba, Kambwili, Masumba, GB Bwalya, Kapeya etc all would not meet the mark in a sensible goverment.

Kapeys please you tell your president that he is pushing his luck of being in government far too much. As Zambians we are not happy with the deceit that pushed you into government. For example, why can’t your leader see that you’re surrounded by far too many old men who are not advising your president correctly? You have completely ignored the youth and just imagine ever since 2011 there has been no credible investment coming to Zambia due to the lawlessness that is going on. I thought ruling by the Biblical Ten Commandments your government was going to uphold the rule of law!! Mwafilwa ukuteka is the answer in the minds if most Zambians.

I don’t usually blog but my mind baffles with all those people saying watchdog cooked up the rumor. Sata supporters please answer this question did Sata say Zambia did NOT need a new constitution and that just amendments to the current one are needed? As witnessed by millions on ZNBC, stop making excuses for the old man it came out of his mouth. Just say he guffed and didn’t mean what he said and let’s move on. What kind of adults are you.

Some bloggers are so stupid, i heard the president on both ZNBC and MUVI TV saying the current constitution have defects only needs amendments. Some ***** are refuting that he never attad such words. Go back to school and learn english. Nowanda, out of 72 languages spoken in zambia, some of u only know/speak one, hence this made u miss what exactly the president said. Go back to school *****. Burn those degrees of stupidity that you hold.

A new constitution is one that is totally different from the previous one. In all constitutional democracies subsequent constitutions, though usually referred to as ‘new’ are never new but embody changes made to previous versions.

Our President is right. The Technical Team will arise with an amended constitution which they will call ‘new’.

His Statement follows allegations quoting the president saying that the current constitution only needs amendments and that Zambia did not need a new constitution.

Is being on record also called an allegation? Stop insulting people Mwansa, this is not ifyabukaya radio show.

By the way, the 14 or 15 hire g.uns you are not making sense by voting against every statement disagreeing with your bufi establishment. It is easy to tell that you have been hired to disagree with most bloggers.

@ Mushota, why are you off the script today? You have always managed to sway bloggers’ comments from the topic at hand to your own humorous themes, which in most cases are not related to topical issues! Today I have noticed that you have spared the minds of our bloggers here, they are keeping to the topic.

Kapeya really struggled to clean Sata’s mess. In what context is he expecting us to understand what Sata said when it was so clear that he did not subscribe to Zambia holding a referendum? Sometimes it’s better to keep your mouth shut than uttering things that make to sense. Kapeya must just sh.ut up because Zambians are not foo.ls. We all heard it and nothing will change our thoughts. PF must be booted out.